Electric cigar lighter



5 m 9 1 5 m e F ELECTRIC CIGAR LIGHTER Filed Oct. 5, 1928 Patented Feb. 5, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIDNEY Ii. WOLFSON, OF MEBIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE CUNO ENGI- NEERING CORPORATION, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION 015 GON- nnoricnr.

ELECTRIC CIGAR LIGHTER.

Application filed @ctober 3, 1928. Serial No. 309,966.

@ne object of my invention is to provide a simple but reliable and effective construction of the detachable or so-called wireless type. l have particularly sought to provide a construction which is adapted to be secured to the instrument board of an automobile. For this purpose the device is formed of two parts, one of which is secured to the board and has means for permanent circuit connecio tions and the other of which is readily removable and carries the igniter unit and a switch for turning on the heating current when desired. The stationary part may be provided with a clamp bracket for detachably in securing it to the instrument board or other support if desired.

The drawing shows one form of the device. Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the two parts separated.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on a considerably enlarged scale.

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view on the plane of the line 3-3.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the bracket.

Fig. 5 is a side view of a modified support.

The stationary part 5 is adapted to be secured to the instrument board and the removable part 8 carries the switch and igniter element.

The bracket 7 serves as a convenient means for mounting the device. This bracket may be conveniently formed of sheet metal bent into a U-shape so as to have a front plate 8 and a back plate 9. A screw 10 serves to 35 clamp the bracket in place. This bracket also serves as a convenient means for ground ing one side of the device by securing one wire to the binding screw 11.

The face plate 12 may be of any ornamental 40 character and suitably secured either to the front plate 8 or directly to the instrument board.

A sleeve 13 serves as the main support for the removable part of the device. This sleeve 45 may conveniently be made of brass and suitably secured atits rear end to the face plate of the bracket by riveting or otherwise. Within the sleeve 13 is mounted a central contact stud 14 which is preferably mounted on 60 the flange 15 but insulated from it by a bushing or washers 16. One of the circuit wires 17 is connected to the center contact 14 in any suitable manner. Preferably, the bracket 7 .is slotted at 18 to allow for the passage of the conductor 17.

The igniter or heater unit 19 is formed of suitable resistance material preferably in a spiral and having suiiicient cross-section to maintain heat enough to light one or more cigars or cigarettes even after current is turned ofi'.

This coil 19 is supported by a heat resisting disc 20 formed, for instance, of lavite or similar material. The center of the coil is secured to the outer end of the screw 21 from which projects the center stud 22 which is adapted to fit into the socket terminal 14. Preferably the latter is split as shown in Fig. 3 so as to resiliently grip the contact stud 22. The outer end of the coil 19 passes through one edge of the disc 20 and is bent over at the rear as shown in Fig. 2. The coil 19 with the insulating supporting disc 20 and the contact stud 22 may conveniently be referred to as the heater unit which may be conveniently sold as a replacement part. The removable un t 6, which carries the heater unit as a part of it, preferably has a housing formed of the front part 24 and the rear part 25. These parts are preferably of some non-metallic insulatmg material such as bakelite which has low specific conductivity and may be of ornamental appearance. The rear part 25 may be provided with a screw thread to receive the rear of the part 24.

Within the housing I provide a switch which includes the central sleeve 26, the collar 27 and the movable spring 28. The sleeve 26 is preferably split so as to be resilient to enable it to detachably engage the outer wall of the sleeve 18. The collar 27 has a flange which electrically contacts with the outer end 23 of the heater coil when the parts are assembled. The two members 26 and 27 are insulated from each other by a suitable washer 29.

The rear part 25 of the housing will either be made of insulating material or suitably insulated from the collar 27. The spring 28 which constitutes the movable member of the switch has one end anchored to the collar 27 by means of a member 30 which also serves to interlock the front member of the housing so as to hold it stationary when attaching or detaching the rear part 25 of the housing. The movable end of the switch member 28 is provided with a push button 31 so that the movable end of the spring 28 may be pressed inward to contact with the sleeve 26. When the ring member 25 and the knob of the push housing with a recess at its front, a heat resistbutton 31 are unscrewed the sleeve 26 and the collar 27 and the switch member 28 may be removed. The heater unit may then be removed and replaced if necessary.

To use the lighter it is simply necessary to press in on the push button 31 whereupon the circuit is complete through the following elements viz: ground, 8, 13, 26, 28, 27, 23, 19,

21, 22, 14 to 17 and thence to the source of current and ground. As soon as the igniter 19 is hot enough the removable unit 6 may he pulled away from the stationary unit and used to light the cigar, cigarette and so forth. The spring 28 requires very little pressure to operate 1t. To attach the unit 6 it is simply necessary to push it on to the sleeve 13 whereupon the stud 22 enters the sleeve 14 and the parts are frictionally held together by the contracting action of the split sleeve 14 and the split collar 26.

When the device is to be permanently installed the. sleeve 13 may be provided with a rear extension to pass through the instrument board or other support and one or more clamp washers and nuts 13' as shown in Fig. 5.

It should be understood that other changes may be made within the intended scope of the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. A cigar lighter comprising a stationary member and a removable member detachably mounted thereon, saidstationary member having a grounded sleeve and a central terminal supported in but insulated from the sleeve, said removable member including a ing disc at the back of said recess, a heater coil secured on the front of said disc and havin a center contact at the rear of said disc a apted to yieldingly engage said central terminal, and a switch mounted in said hous-- ing comprising an outer sleeve adapted to telescope on said grounded sleeve, a collar connected to the outer end of said coil and insulated from said outer sleeve and a push button operated contact member movable between said collar and said outer sleeve.

2. A cigar lightemcomprising a stationary member and a removable unit detachably mounted thereon, said stationary member having a stationary sleeve and a central split terminal supported in but insulated from the sleeve, said removable unit comprising a housing, a heat resisting disc therein, a heater coil secured on the front of said disc and having a center contact=at the rear of said disc adapted to yieldin'gly engage said central terminal, and a switch mounted in said housingcomprising an outer split sleeve adapted to slide on said stationary sleeve, a collar connected to the outer end ofsaid coil and insulated from said outer sleeve and a contact member movable between said collar and said other sleeve.

3. A cigar lighter comprising a stationary member and a removable igniter unit detachablymounted thereon, said stationary member having a sleeve and a central terminal sup ported in but insulated from the sleeve, said removable unit comprising a housing with a recess at the front, a removable heat resisting disc at the back of said recess, a heater coil secured on the front of said disc and having a center contact at the rear of said disc adapted to engage said central terminal, an outer sleeve adapted to telescope on said stationary sleeve, a collar connected to the outer end of said coil and a base ring havin a screw threaded connection with said housing and1 clamping the parts of the igniter unit toget er.

4. A cigar lighter'comprising a stationary member and a removable member detachably mounted thereon, said stationary member having a sleeve and a central terminal supported in but insulated from the sleeve, said removable member comprising a housing, a heat resisting disc therein, a heater coil secured on the front of said disc and having a center contact at the rear of said disc adapted to slidably engage said central terminal, and a switch mounted in said housing and having an outer sleeve adapted to telescope on said stationary sleeve, and a collar having a flange connected to the outer end of said coil.

5. A cigar lighter unit comprisin a housing formed of two insulating parts having a screw threaded connection, and having a chamber formed between them, a lavite disc mounted in the front of said chamber, a heater coil carried by said disc, a center contact stud connected to one end of said coil, a contact sleeve mounted in the rear of said chamber and surrounding said stud, a collar surrounding said sleeve in said chamber and connected to the other end of said coil, a spring switch member having one end connected to said collar, and a push button connected to the movable end of said switch member for pressing it into contact with said sleeve.

6. A cigar lighter comprising a U-shaped bracket having a clamp screw in its rear and a ground connection and having a slot for a conductor, a sleeve rojecting forwardly from the front of said racket, a center contact terminal inside said sleeve but insulated therefrom, and a removable igniter unit comprising a housing, a lighter member and a switch in said housing, said switch and lighter member having contact terminals slidably en aging said sleeve and said center contact.

A cigar lighter comprising a bracket and a removable unit detachably mounted thereon, said bracket having a projecting sleeve terminal and a central terminal supported in but insulated from the sleeve, said removable unit comprising an insulating housing, an igniter unit detachably mounted in said housing and having a center contact stud at the rear adapted to yieldingly engage said central terminal, and a switch mounted in said housing and having a terminal adapted to engage said sleeve terminal.

8. A detachable cigar lighter unit comprising a housing formed of two parts and provided with a screw thread connection between them, the outer part having a recess at the front and a groove on the inside at the rear, said parts having a chamber between them, an insulating disc mounted in said chamber and having a heater coil at the front exposed said switch members extending into said 20 groove.

' SIDNEY L. WOLFSON. 

